The field of the invention is environmentally protected electrical jacks and plugs. Known to the art is the desirability of protecting electrical jacks and plugs, such as a standard RJ11 modular connector, from environmental contamination to enable them to be used outdoors as components in network interface devices or other articles. Dust covers provide one means of protection. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,348 describes a unitary dust cover protecting an electrical jack and plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,238 describes another environmentally sealed RJ-11 connector. Holes providing passage for wires at the back of the connector and for the line entering the plug at the front of the connector are each sealed with a polyurethane resin, and the mating surfaces between the faces of the plug and the jack are sealed by a rubber sealing member. However, it is then necessary to provide a spring retaining clip to maintain compression on the rubber sealing member.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,111,497 and 5,195,125 describe environmental sealing of an RJ11 connector by partially filling the jack socket with a gel. Alternatively, gel can be placed in a trench around the jack or within a cap around the plug. A disadvantage which has arisen in the use of sealed RJ11 connectors has been seen during variations in temperature, in that free spaces within the connector, which are never entirely eliminated, can be at a pressure different from the surrounding atmosphere due to material expansion and the like. Over time, such differences in pressure can lead to connector degradation by drawing in moisture.
One class of devices employing RJ11 connectors is network interface devices, which are devices connected between a telephone network provider's central office and the premise wiring of a telephone subscriber. Means in the network interface device allow connection and disconnection between terminals connected to the subscriber's premise wiring and terminals connected to the telephone company's central office. U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,359 gives further description of the layout of a network interface device and is incorporated herein by reference.
Objects of the invention are to provide an environmentally sealed RJ11 connector which passes Bellcore specification TR-NWT-000049 with better sealing than provided by a dust cover, elimination of the spring clip to allow normal snap-latch operation of the plug, and a less costly, more efficient design than that provided by the prior art.